


A Date With Time Itself

by RomanaOnCaprica



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Choose Your Own Adventure, Collaboration, Contributions Welcome, Experimental Style, Gen, POV Second Person, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-18
Updated: 2013-10-19
Packaged: 2017-12-29 18:34:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1008677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RomanaOnCaprica/pseuds/RomanaOnCaprica
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"That statue was not there before. This isn't happening, it must be an illusion. This is just your eyes playing tricks on you. If you blink it will be gone, you convince yourself. You slowly close your eyes and reopen them…"</p><p>A highly experimental 'choose your own adventure' story that welcomes contributions from fellow authors.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Introduction (start here please!)

**Author's Note:**

> Write chapters for this story! See the end of this work for details.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter author: [RomanaOnCaprica](http://archiveofourown.org/users/RomanaOnCaprica)

You’re at the bus stop. It’s late; you can’t feel your feet and your coat is so wet it leaves a dripping trail that follows you wherever you walk. At least the rain has eased up a bit – you hope it stays that way.

You check your watch again. If the bus doesn't come soon you’re going to miss your favourite TV show.

You hear a voice in the distance, too far away to make out what its saying, and heavy footsteps getting progressively louder. You really hope you can get out of here soon – who knows what psychopaths could be hanging around here at night. A blur of purple starts to approach – you can’t quite make it out under the dim street lights, but it looks like a man. He shoots past you, nearly knocking you over in the process.  
You watch him disappear for a moment and before fixing your gaze to the street. You check your watch again; this is getting ridiculous. Your stomach begins to complain at the apparent lack of food and you remember you have a snack in your bag. Reaching down get it, you take a quick glance back up for the bus.

But instead of the street all you see is a statue.

You gasp and step back. That definitely wasn't there a few seconds ago. It’s an angel, with its mouth wide open, showing its teeth.  
That was not there before. This isn't happening, it must be an illusion. This is just your eyes playing tricks on you. If you blink it will be gone, you convince yourself. You slowly close your eyes and reopen them…

[You open your eyes and find yourself in the past…](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1008677/chapters/2003681)

**(Open to Write)** You open your eyes and find yourself in the future…


	2. You open your eyes and find yourself in the past...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter author: [RomanaOnCaprica](http://archiveofourown.org/users/RomanaOnCaprica)

You open your eyes and gasp. The bus stop is gone and the sun is nearly blinding. Confused, you look around. The road – if you could call it that – is deserted, and the brightly lit stores have been replaced with modest stone shopfronts.

You don’t understand. Obviously someone moved you here, but you could have sworn that just seconds ago you were staring at the stone statue. How many days of your life have you lost? Suddenly you feel ill, like a bad bout of motion sickness. You stagger over to a nearby bench, your head spinning.

“Are you alright there?” you see a blur of a person in front of you. You squeeze your eyelids together, trying to clear up the image.  
“Yes, thanks,” you open your eyes to reveal woman, dressed in clothing suited to her surroundings. What was this, one of those historical tourist towns? She’s about to turn away when you suddenly you see an opportunity to start piecing things together.  
“Hang on,” you call. “What’s the date?”  
She turns back and gives you a strange look. “It’s the 24th of October. Anyway I must be off.” She begins to walk away again.

24th of October? That can’t be right. It was the 26th when you saw the statue. Surely you haven’t lost a whole year…have you?  
“Wait,” you call to the woman, and she turns back again. “What year is it?”  
“You really are wasting my time, I have things to get back to,”  
“Please,” you beg. She gives you look before giving in.  
“Year of our Lord 1910.” She turns back and walks away.

You sit on the bench, stunned, as an antique car drives by. You don’t know what to believe anymore. If this was a tourist town they sure were taking things a bit far. At the same time, you can’t think of any other explanation…

Suddenly you see a man a man in a purple coat run past you. Hang on a minute, you’ve seen that before…  
“No!” the man cries out, suddenly stopping and looking around him. He suddenly stumbles, not unlike the way you did when you first landed here.  
“Remind me not to time travel without a capsule,” he mumbles. You instantly stand up and walk over to him, sure he can give you some answers.  
“Ah, hello there!” He straightens up and enthusiastically shakes your hand. “Let me guess – you got here the same way I did. One touch, that’s all the angels need. The only creatures in the universe to kill you nicely – unless they want to have a chat, in which case it’s much more grisly.”  
You look at him, stunned.  
“Hang on, I really should work on getting to the introductions first. I’m the Doctor.”  
You look at him and stammer your name, still stunned.  
“Nice to meet you. Now first things first, let’s work out where – or rather, when – we are. If we could just find a newspaper or-”  
“1910,” you instinctively reply.  
“Oh, you’re good. Next thing’s a bit more complicated, how do we get back to 2013?”  
“But hang on, I don’t understand,” you look at him, more confused than ever. He turns to you, as if annoyed at his train of thought being interrupted. “How did we even get to 1910 in the first place? Are you saying that creepy angel statue did it?”  
“That’s exactly what I’m saying. Keep up.”  
“How? And how do they move like that?”  
He sighs. “It’s complicated, I’ll explain later.”  
“Have you met these creepy angel things before?”  
“A few times. The last time-” he falls silent and looks at the ground. Realising this is sensitive ground, you go to change the subject when all a scream interrupts your thoughts. The Doctor instantly looks up and runs in the direction it’s coming from.

What do you do?

 **(Open to Write)** Follow the Doctor!

(Coming soon)  
Avoid trouble and stay put.

**Author's Note:**

> **Collaboration - How it Works**  
> Once, a long time ago, I was part of a website where everyone could contribute to 'choose your own adventure' style stories. I want to resurrect that idea in the form of a Doctor Who fanfic, and everyone is welcome!
> 
> Basically, wherever you see the words "open to write" is a chapter of the story you can write. You'll be credited for the chapters that you wrote.
> 
> You are free to take the story wherever (and I mean **wherever** ) you please, as long as you follow these basic rules:  
> 1\. 200-2500 words per chapter  
> 2\. Every chapter must end with a 2-4 choices for the reader, unless it is an ending.  
> 3\. Try to keep everything suitable to general audiences. If you must you can go to the teen+ rating but no higher than that please!  
> 4\. Major character deaths are acceptable, as long as you write them well and show respect for the character. If you 'permanently' kill the protagonist the story must end. You may not kill the Doctor, however regenerations are acceptable.  
> 5\. Try to keep the story open so as many people as possible can relate to it - avoid giving the protagonist a gender, relationships, etc.  
> 6\. You are welcome to add characters, whether it be from the show or original characters - this includes other Doctors. You can also use any characters from the Whoniverse (eg Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures) but not from other fandoms at this stage. When the story gets a lot bigger and there are more 'possible paths' I may consider opening it up to other fandoms.  
> 7\. Obviously, the story needs to flow. Make sure it does actually continue from the chapter it's linked to.  
> 8\. All contributions are subject to minor edits from me.
> 
> Comment/contact me if you're interested! You don't have to be an AO3 member in order to contribute - the link to your chapter credit can lead wherever you choose.


End file.
